Man arrested over fire at former Perth primary school

A teenager has been arrested over a fire at a former primary school in Perth.

An eyewitness described seeing a “tornado of fire and smoke” at the old Balhousie Primary School building on Muirton Place shortly after midnight on Sunday.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) dispatched six crews and two height appliances to the scene, with firefighters continuing to battle back the blaze into the early hours.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with wilful fire-raising and was released pending further inquiries.

Police Scotland said the fire was being treated as unexplained.

Two crews and a height appliance remain on the scene on Sunday morning to carry out dampening down work, the SFRS said.

There were not thought to be any casualties, but a number of properties were evacuated as a precaution.

Residents have since been allowed to return home.

The owner of a local shop told BBC Scotland News: “I drove past at about 01:30 and the roof had collapsed.

“There was a full fire-smoke tornado engulfing the building.

“The flames began to subside about an hour later and the red glow was almost completely gone by about 03:30.”

She added staff at a local garage had provided coffee and water to emergency responders, while a nearby branch of McDonald’s had handed out food.

Dunkeld Road, Balhousie Street and Muirton Place were closed off, but have now reopened.

Nearby residents were warned to keep their windows and doors closed due to smoke coming from the scene.

Balhousie Primary School was closed in 2023 when pupils were moved to the new Riverside Primary.